(Credits: Far Out / RCA Records)
Tue 21 October 2025 20:30, UK
A bitter feud might underscore the recent narrative surrounding Hall and Oates, but the duo can sleep soundly in the knowledge that the music they harmoniously crafted will live on beyond any legal quibbles.
While Daryl Hall might have said that “the ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean,” now, in terms of their partnership, there was a time when they were the inseparable smooth sailors of yacht rock, bringing the schmoozy new genre to the masses. That pioneering spirit not only survives but is being given a much-needed reappraisal by the youth of today.
What exactly was yacht rock? Well, it’s certainly not a term that the golden-haired Hall was ever proud of. “This is something I don’t understand. First of all, yacht rock was a fucking joke by two jerk offs in California and suddenly it became a genre,” he told Broken Record. “I don’t even understand it. I never understood it.”
He kicked off the loafers from their discography and stuck to the musicology, explaining, “It’s just R&B, with maybe some jazz in there. It’s mellow R&B, smooth R&B.” He continued, “I don’t see what the yacht part is.” For a time, he even thought the label precluded them from achieving the success that their songwriting warranted.
Presumably, this pertained to critical acclaim as the magnificently barbered soul brothers sold over 80million records worldwide, that’s more than Oasis, Kiss and Van Halen. Now, those figures are back on the rise as the youth of today are delving into the past, looking beyond labels that became shackled with snobbery and understanding why they were so popular.
One song in particular is driving that trend, and it has affirmed to John Oates exactly why it was their masterpiece in the first place. The 1973 single, ‘She’s Gone’, has increasingly been popping up on spaces like TikTok, and the moustachioed Oates isn’t all that surprised. “It has stood the test of time, and that’s the mark of a great song,” he recently told People.
The singer added, “When you’re honouring songwriters here at the Songwriters Hall of Fame, you’re honouring songs that are legendary and songs that are timeless, and that’s the key.” And the sweet, sumptuous nature of ‘She’s Gone’ survives. Resplendent with Steely Dan-like soft rock hooks, Motown key changes, and the punchy vitality of ‘80s pop seven years before the event, its mix of innovation and easy catchiness has rendered it a timeless classic among those smart enough to realise that commercial doesn’t always equal crap.
“Good songs are good songs. They stand on their own,” Oates says. He found, for once, Hall in agreement. His counterpart also listed it among his five favourite songs that the duo ever mustered, commenting, “It’s very autobiographical. What we wrote about was real, even though it was two different situations. And it’s very thematic with us: this soaring melody and uplifting chord progression, but about a very sad thing.”
Will it be remembered for 100 years? Lord knows, but it’s seeing a revival at 50.